This is an elegant cookbook with gorgeous visual material, and a precise point of view. It’s written by a Punjabi-Bengali-American, mother-son duo, who know exactly what they’re cooking, so to speak, when it comes to their Indian cuisine. They cover the ground evocatively from Daal Maakhni to Misti Doi. This will become my go-to cookbook!

-Krishnendu Ray, Food Studies Professor at NYU and the author of The Migrant's Table and The Ethnic Restaurateur

Heartland Masala is so friendly and personal, written with so much thought and care, it’s so current – it’s so fresh that I want to say it points cookbooks in a new direction, although I’m not sure any other can quite follow in its footsteps. 

-Edward Behr, author and founder of The Art of Eating

Heartland Masala is a joyous ode to Indian food and to the immigrant experience in America. It’s also a beautiful dialogue between mother and son as they work together in the kitchen. The wonderfully enticing recipes are presented from the perspectives of a brilliant home cook—a “potato wizard”—and her very smart son, who deepens the conversation with stories about history and culture. With recipes ranging from entry-level to advanced, there’s something for everyone in this book. I can’t wait to start cooking!

-Darra Goldstein, founding editor of Gastronomica, editor-in-chief of the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Food Studies, and author of eight award-winning cookbooks

Heartland Masala is one of those rare books on food that can keep you enthralled far into the night. Written by a mother and son team whose voices alternate throughout, the concept is original, witty and well-executed. Their respective scientific backgrounds are evident in the care with which they provide the personal and cultural context of recipes which are both playful and precise. Whether or not you’re new to Indian cuisines, Jyoti and Auyon Mukharji take you on one family’s thoroughly enjoyable culinary journey from one end of India to the other, ending up in Kansas which has its own contributions to the story. Not only is this book fun to read and to anticipate cooking from, it’s a valuable cross-cultural document.

-Niloufer Ichaporia King, cultural anthropologist and curious cook

Auyon and Jyoti beautifully weave together generations of culinary tradition with a fresh, regional perspective. The recipes in this book showcase dishes from all over India,  so if you're looking for an intro to Indian cuisine- this is THE book for you! I loved the dishes that highlight the evolution of Indian-American food via the Midwestern lens, like the Masala Brussels Sprouts and Tomato, Red Lentil, and Ginger Soup!   A must-have for home cooks who love bold spices, tips and tricks to make cooking less stressful, and a touch of history!

-Hetal Vasavada, cookbook author and blogger at Milk and Cardamom

This mom and son team created a dynamic, fun, and delightful book that is also part cooking class. Deliciously written, Jyoti and her son Auyon describe, instruct, inspire and entice readers to cook through a variety of Indian dishes. Ginger, garlic, turmeric, onions, green chiles and cumin are treated reverently, whether fried or toasted, tempered or roasted. The resulting curries, biryanis, stews, and gravies come alive in the kitchen. A book for serious and fun-loving cooks alike, Heartland Masala, is a gift to the palate and a symphony for the senses.

-Sandra A. Gutierrez, award-winning journalist, food historian, and author of LATINÍSIMO

Heartland Masala is an approachable creative, informative, and flat-out fun look at a rich array of regional Indian dishes. Whether it's the classics or new interpretations, Jyoti and Auyon Mukharji make any cook feel right at home in their kitchen.

-Adrian Miller, James Beard Award-winning author

Heartland Masala, which has its origins in the kitchen of a family from the borderlands between Punjab, Bengal and Kansas, is the best introduction to Indian cooking that I have read in a while; both emerging from the Mukharji family's background and not bounded by it. The recipes, which represent many different regions of India, come steeped in the flexible ethos of Indian home cooking and with clear instructions that will help even the most nervous cook adapt to it. The brief essays and notes on Indian food history and culture sprinkled throughout the book place the recipes in broader contexts. Whether explaining how to make ghee or explicating the many steps of a rezala or dispelling myths around masala chai, the writing is always engaging and the book a true pleasure to read. I will be cooking from it and suggest you should too. 

-Arnab Chakladar, author of MyAnnoyingOpinions.com and Associate Professor at Carleton College

I defy you to find another Indian cookbook that gets it right on all counts: food that promises to taste like it came from a home kitchen, excellent technique advice for the uninitiated, gorgeous artwork, and that warm fuzzy feeling that a cookbook should leave you with. I am floored.

-Farah Yameen, historian and ethnographer

This book by a mother and son is a wonderful masala of personal reminiscences, historical facts, and well thought out instructions for preparing classic dishes of Indian cuisine. The many drawings are useful and charming, making the book a delight to use. Even those who don’t plan to make all the dishes will learn a lot about India’s history and culture from this impressive work.

-Colleen Taylor Sen, author of Feasts and Fasts: A History of Food in India

There are no truer words than "Indian cooking is not an exact science." In my experience growing up with my own mother's Indian cooking, it's an impressionistic practice that blends memories, cultures, spices, and love. This cookbook, a beautiful collaboration between mother and son, contains a generous helping of all of those ingredients.

-Hrishikesh Hirway, host of Home Cooking and Song Exploder podcasts

Once you enter Jyoti and Auyon's kitchen you will not want to leave. From homely daals to sumptuous biryanis, it is a mouth-watering medley of Indian flavours.

-Lizzie Collingham, author of Curry: A Tale of Cooks and Conquerors

Jyoti and Auyon Mukharji take us on a delectable journey through the American heartland, sharing cherished family stories, traditions, and a diverse array of accessible Indian recipes. The evocative illustrations and photographs make Heartland Masala a feast for the eyes as well as the palate—a vibrant mother-son collaboration that bridges continents and generations.

-Aparna Kapadia, historian of South Asia and Associate Professor at Williams College

South Asian cookbooks have long trodden the line of having to inform and educate an unfamiliar reader; saddled with the burden of having to convince a world that sees peoples’ worth through their offerings in cuisine. Heartland Masala defies this entirely, presenting precise, fun, and delicious recipes that do not bind themselves within a single tradition or one-dimensional aspiration. I love how lively and full of stories this cookbook is, and Jyoti and Auyon are great companions with whom to cook and read. When speaking of Indian cuisines, a usual disclaimer has to be issued—that any presentation is just a single blip in its mammoth universe. But herein are extensive and customisable recipes that actually do justice to what it is like to eat within an Indian family.

-Sharanya Deepak, New Delhi-based writer

Authentically delicious, and deliciously authentic.

-Mark Forsyth, author of A Short History of Drunkenness

Heartland Masala is a wholly American story of a mother and son's passion for Indian cooking and their mission to make this intricate cuisine fun and achievable for anyone. Complete with radiant illustrations and photographs, as well culinary and cultural gems sprinkled throughout, this book will live on your kitchen counter for years to come.

-Raj Tawney, author of Colorful Palate: A Flavorful Journey Through a Mixed American Experience

There is no place like home, which is exactly where Heartland Masala begins. Jyoti, an accidental cooking instructor who has offered classes in her Kansas kitchen to thousands, and her musician son, Auyon, have joined creative forces to create a guide book for home cooks eager to expand beyond Americanized restaurant curries. Sharing their deep sense of pride for a cuisine Jyoti only learned to cook from taste memories after she arrived in the United States as a young woman and started her family, their joyful memoir navigates through the heart of India’s autonomous regional cuisines and demonstrates with precision how to achieve the same mesmerizing flavors using little more than a collection of spice grinders and a conventional stovetop.

-Jill Silva, James Beard award-winning food editor

This is not a cookbook to simply go to the index and then directly to your favorite recipes. It's fun! It's fascinating! This is a cookbook to actually read!   

-Linda Duerr, four-time James Beard nominee: Best Chef of the Midwest

Heartland Masala invites you to enjoy the cooking experience as a feast for the senses instead of a chore. Auyon and Jyoti share their passion and their culture in this Indian version of the classic Joy of Cooking.

-Vivien Jennings, founder of Rainy Day Books

I have had the good fortune to attend several of the cooking classes that Jyoti has been hosting in her home for the past 15 years in Kansas City. Reading this glorious cookbook is like having a front row seat to each and every one of them. It is clearly the culmination of many hours teaching people not only to cook Indian dishes, but to really understand each of the ingredients and the role it plays in each dish. I love having all of her recipes at my fingertips with this cookbook.

-Jenny Vergara, Kansas City-based food writer

You cannot help but love Jyoti from the moment you meet her to being a participant in one of her cooking classes. Her warmth, light and love just exude through her entire body. This cookbook is the visual collection of this feeling. The most unique and interesting collection of her years of perfected recipes and ideas are organized to suit any level of cooking interest. 

-Leslie Newsam, co-owner of The Antler Room

It has been an honor to have the Mukharji family as a part of our work and personal life for decades. We’ve had the incredible pleasure of not only working alongside them but also dining together, getting the chance to experience the amazing Indian cuisine of which Jyoti has always shown such passion in creating. We are thrilled to see the processes and devotion come alive in this cookbook– not only for us to enjoy, but also to give others access to all the wondrous tips, ideas and ancestral knowledge from Jyoti and Auyon. We have thoroughly taken pleasure in Jyoti's preparations and are excited to discover even more offerings throughout this beautiful cookbook.

-Nancy and René Bollier, co-owners of André’s Chocolates